Baseball

Baseball Falls Twice to Fairleigh Dickinson

BRIDGEPORT, CT -
The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team took advantage of a pair of errors by Sacred Heart in the seventh inning of game two of a Northeast Conference doubleheader Sunday, scoring five unearned runs and went on to sweep the Pioneers in the twinbill, 9-4 and 8-4.

The errors in the seventh wasted an outstanding start by SHU junior Corey Corcoran (Norwich, CT). Pressed into an emergency start because scheduled starter Mick Oswald had a tender arm, Corcoran allowed just one run and six hits in six innings of work. He left the game leading 4-1. The Pioneers finished the game with four errors.

The Pioneers, 9-15-1 and 1-3, had built the lead thanks in large part to a two-run double by Jeff Heppner in the third inning.

Reliever Mike Olszyk got the first batter in the seventh before Erik Pollag singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Mike Eliasen then reached on an error by SHU third baseman Tyler Santos and Pollag scored. A single and a hit batter loaded the bases. Olszyk got Eric Maher to line to first baseman Robert Griffith for the second out, Griffith tried to pick Eliasen off third and threw the ball into left to allow the run to score. Zach Sand compounded the mistake by ripping a two-run triple to right center to give the Knights a 6-4 lead.

Sacred Heart made three errors in the opener and FDU scored six unearned runs off the miscues. The Pioneers got within a pair at 6-4 after five innings thanks to RBI doubles from Heppner and Hunter Phillips, and an RBI single by Santos.

FDU, 8-14 and 3-1, scored three times in the sixth led by a two-run single from Sand.